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Get Ready to Run Calgary

Voted the 2009 2010 2012 2013 and 2014 Best Road Race in Alberta , the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon is a challenging, competitive and fun event with a race designed for everyone of any level. There is a 50k Ultra, full marathon, half-marathon, 10 km, 5 km family walk or run and kids' marathon. See the Race Info section for more information. For information on the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon Health and Wellness Expo, click here

Canada's Longest Running Marathon

On August 10, 1963 nineteen men lined up at Glenmore Stadium to run the first Calgary Marathon, and what was also the first marathon ever to be run in Western Canada.

Canada's Longest Running Marathon

On August 10, 1963 nineteen men lined up at Glenmore Stadium to run the first Calgary Marathon, and what was also the first marathon ever to be run in Western Canada. Only twelve men finished the race that day, which took them on an out-and-back course aside traffic along Macleod Trail. Thirty-one-year-old Doug Kyle was the victor in a time of 2:45:54. The rest of the pack ranged in age from 17 years to a spry 38 year old. The course had been measured by Bill Wyllie, using his car's odometer to determine the distance of 26 miles, 385 yards. A mere five "refreshment" stations, offering only water, lined the course, making for 10 water stops in the out-and-back. For the most part the runners were on their own, after being given instructions and brief directions at the starting line. Charles Hanna of the Canadian Legion fired the gun, as the official starter.

Before they even got to the starting line, however, there was a medical doctor on hand whose task was to examine all of the athletes. One of the runners, Gordie Dixon, was nearly disqualified because the doctor, not being a sports specialist nor familiar with distance runners, declared that Gordie's pulse was just too low. Despite his "medical condition of a low heart rate," Gordie went on to win the race the following year.

The marathon was the brainchild of Calgarian Doug Kyle. At that time Doug was Canada's fastest runner, having competed for Canada in both the 1956 and the 1960 Olympics in both the 5,000 and 10,000-meter distances. He was nearing the end of his competitive career and was looking for new challenges, so he looked to the marathon. At the 1959 Pan American Games, after competing in the 5,000 and 10,000 meter events, he decided to enter and run his first marathon: he placed seventh! Upon returning to Calgary, he somehow convinced a good-natured Bill Wyllie to join him in his efforts to hold a marathon in Calgary; after all, how difficult could it be? In Bill Wyllie's words, "the two of us 'beat the bushes' to come up with our 19 entrants."

Doug's motive was simple: to bring the 1964 Olympic time trials to Calgary. If they could successfully hold a marathon in Calgary, he felt that he could convince amateur sports to host the Olympic trials in Calgary the next year, instead of the usual Ontario choices. Our high altitude and the hometown advantage would put the Calgary runners at the front of the pack. Doug succeeded in his goal: the Olympic trials were held in Calgary the next year, at the second Calgary Marathon.

The 1960's

There were four marathons run in Calgary in the 1960's, with some of the fastest men in the country running in those four races, particularly the 1964 Calgary Marathon, which was also the Canadian Olympic trials marathon. Few in number, but impressive in their times and international status, in its formative years, the Calgary Marathon was often the host to Canada's finest marathon runners.

The 1970's

The Calgary Roadrunners took over the organization of the Calgary Marathon and it has been an annual event in Calgary since 1971. One of the biggest highlights of the 1970's, however, remains the inclusion of women in the race.

In 1975, 41-year-old Carmen Robinson of Banff became the first winner of the women's division in the Calgary Marathon in a time of 3:59:12. Second place Cathy Broderick was a full forty minutes behind Carmen, with a time of 4:30:04. These two women were also among the first women ever to run a marathon in western Canada.

According to Doug Kyle, up until the early 1970's, it was just an accepted fact, by both men and women in our society and elsewhere in the world, that women could not run long distances. Women now make up nearly half of the marathon participants, thanks to the dreams, hard work, and perseverance of women like Carmen Robinson and Cathy Broderick.

The 1980's

This was the decade of repeat winners. Lorna Hawley of Calgary boasted five straight victories in the women's division starting in 1981. She remained unbeatable for another four years, breaking the three-hour barrier in four of the five races. Her fastest race was in 1984, with a time of 2:54:45. Lorna still holds the record as the Overall Winner in the Women's Division.

Lorna Hawley finishing in first place for the women in 1985.

In 1989 the Calgary Marathon moved from its May date to the new date of July, to team up with the fourth running of the Stampede 10k event. The famous Stampede Breakfast was introduced and remained part of the event for more than a decade. As well, 1989 marked the 25th anniversary celebration of the Calgary Marathon.

The 1990's

More records were set in the 1990's. Kelvin Broad ran his first Calgary Marathon in 1991. That same year he set the record for the Calgary Marathon in a time of 2:23:49 and the record stood until 2012 when Benard Onsare ran a 2:22:47. It was also the first year that prize money was given out to the top performers. Kelvin received $500 for his efforts that day. He continued to win every Calgary Marathon he entered and remains the Overall Winner of the Men's Division with a record eight victories.

The women's record was set in 1990 by Claire Kroshus, with a winning time of 2:45:59. Like Kelvin, her record has stood the test of time, and is yet to be broken.

The early 1990's saw the formation of the long partnership between the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation and the Calgary Marathon. With the new sponsorship came the new name for the Calgary Marathon; the name of Stampede Run-Off was coined to cover the entire event, including the marathon, the 10k and the mayor's 3k fun run. It was in this decade that the race finish line moved three times: from Eau Claire to Mewata Stadium, and finally to Fort Calgary, where it has remained ever since.

Several of the more interesting participants in the marathon history ran in the 1995 race, including two executives from the Laredo Boot Company of Nashville. They completed the marathon wearing newly designed Laredo cowboy boots! In that same race Wally Herman of Ottawa ran his 441st marathon and Don McNelly of Rochester, New York ran his 431st marathon. Pretty impressive for two men, aged 69 and 74 years respectively.

The 21st Century

In the year 2000 the rain poured down for the entire race, as the temperature reached a high of only +3 C. Runners crossed the finish line wearing among other paraphernalia, plastic garbage bags to help keep them dry. The next year saw near record highs with temperatures in the +30's. Despite the extreme weather conditions, the Calgary Marathon can still boast an average race day temperature of perfect +15 degrees!

In 2006, signed on as the new title sponsor of the Calgary Marathon. A team events, 10km race and half marathon are now part of the Calgary Marathon race weekend, but the highlight is still the grand daddy of them all, the marathon.

Starting out as one man's dream almost ffity years ago, the Calgary Marathon has evolved and grown into what it is today. We invite you to join us this May and run the marathon at the 2013 Calgary Marathon race weekend and become part of its proud history.

The Scotiabank Calgary Marathon is organized and operated by the Calgary Marathon Society, a nonprofit volunteer organization promoting health and fitness. Our volunteer board of directors is made up of CEO's, CFO's and business owners in their own right.

Calgary Marathon Society Board Members

Dan Ouimet - President

Dan Ouimet is a public affairs professional with ConocoPhillips Canada. He has over 15 years of experience in the field of public policy, communications and event management. In addition to being a competitor in both running and triathlons, he has also played a role on the organizational team of several major road races and triathlons.

Louise Taylor - Chair

Louise is a physiotherapist and partner at Movement Sports Clinic. She has a primary interest in helping keep all Calgarians moving well and staying active. A passionate runner and triathlete, Louise is pleased to assist the Calgary Marathon Society in enriching lives through running.

Barrie Griffiths - Treasurer

Barrie Griffiths retired from the University of Calgary after 29 years as Food Services Manager. He now serves the community through his volunteer endeavours; having sat on the Calgary Tourism board, serving as Past Chairman of Alberta Restaurant & Food Services Association and sitting as Past President of Calgary Roadrunners Club. In addition to currently sitting on the Board of Directors for CMS, Barrie is a longtime volunteer. Barrie has been running all his life, including over 40 years in Canada, first running the Calgary Marathon in 1987.

Members at large

Georgie Islip

Georgie Islip left the corporate world of sales and marketing in 2001 to set up her own business as a running and fitness coach. Her clients have included junior tennis champions, ultra runners, business executives and children. Georgie has completed various marathons, triathlons and the Marathon des Sables. In her spare time, she volunteers teaching sport at the local school as well as organising charity events.

Sarah King

Sarah King acts as in-house litigation counsel with ENMAX Corporation, having previously worked in private practice for the past 7 years. She is an avid runner and cyclist and is passionate about athletics, health and wellness.

Jenny de Champlain

Jenny is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) who works as a Cost Analyst for TransCanada. Jenny starting running five years ago in which time she has run thirty half marathons and three marathons. 2015 will be Jenny’s 5th consecutive year running the Centaur Subaru Half Marathon at Calgary Marathon and second year topping it off with the 5K race. She’s excited to be able to combine her professional experience with her love for running as a member of the board. Jenny is also a 2015 ForeRunner and will be sharing her training experiences via her website www.calgaryrunnergirl.com and other social media platforms.

Shari Macdonald

Shari Macdonald is a co-owner and physical therapist at the Running Injury Clinic. She has been working in private practice for over 17 years specializing in sport and running related injuries. For the past several years, she has been a member of Sport Physiotherapy Canada board and Sport Physiotherapy Alberta executive. She is excited to bring her passion for living a healthy and active lifestyle to the Calgary Marathon Society.

Ari Sarantis

Ari is a commercial lawyer at ENMAX Corporation, where he manages a team of three lawyers and two assistants. His day-to-day practice encompasses a number of areas, including contract review and negotiation, marketing and advertising, and privacy. When he is not working, you will find Ari training or writing. He is a competitive age-group triathlete and runner with a number of age-group wins and multiple top 10 finishes, including 2nd place age-group finishes in the Centaur Subaru 21.1K and the Jugo Juice 10k!

Blaine Penny

Blaine Penny is a passionate father and husband with 2 kids – Julia (10) and Evan (12), a Professional Engineer, Business Executive, endurance athlete and community/charity volunteer. Blaine is a co-founder and past President / CEO of MitoCanada (2009 – 2015 as a volunteer), the first and only Canadian charity in support of mitochondrial disease. 8 years ago, Blaine’s son (Evan) tragically suffered an unexplained brain injury overnight and went from being a perfectly typical 4-year-old boy to a spastic quadriplegic (who could not longer walk, talk or eat) as a result of mitochondrial disease. Over the past 9 years, Blaine has poured his spare time into helping raise awareness, provide support and raise funds for mitochondrial disease. Blaine has championed MitoCanada, as part of the Calgary Marathon Charity Challenge, since 2012 - including as a feature charity in 2013 - and has raised more than $315,000 at the event in the last 5 years. Blaine is an endurance junkie who loves to push his physical limits as a competitive (ultra) marathoner, xc skier, and cyclist. A few notable accomplishments include 2-time Canadian 50 Mile Ultramarathon Champion, a PB marathon of 2:29, former Guinness World Record holder of the ‘Fastest marathon by a linked team’ (2013), 2015 North American winner of the ‘Wings for Life World Run’ and pending GWR for 24 hour team treadmill record.

The Scotiabank Calgary Marathon is organized and operated by the Calgary Marathon Society, a non-profit volunteer organization promoting health and fitness. Our volunteer board of directors is made up of CEO’s, CFO’s and business owners in their own right. Our mission is to annually host a premier running even in the City of Calgary, for runners of all ages and abilities, in the spirit of competition, sportsmanship and fun which results in promotion and support of the Calgary running community.

In our commitment to the promotion and celebration of road running in Calgary, the Calgary Marathon Society has created the Calgary Marathon Society Hall of Fame. As the stewards of Canada's oldest marathon we are committed to acknowledging individuals and organizations who have contributed to the growth and development of road racing in Calgary and Canada.

Ed Bickley (2014) We retired Ed's bib #501and inducted him in to the Hall of Fame for his many years or participation in the Calgary Marathon races.

Barrie Griffiths (2015) The JIm Clampett Volunteer of the Year Award for his ongoing contributions to the Calgary Marathon Society as the Aid Station Committee Captain and Treasurer for the Board of Directors.

Helly Visser (2015) for being a Remarkable Runner

Rob Reid (2015) for his many contributions to the running community.

Dave and Linda Foo (2016) for a decade of service to the organizing committee as the sign coordinators.

Nomination Process

Any individual or group may nominate an individual or organization. To make a nomination, please email info@calgarymarathon.com with the following information:

Contact information of individual group

Category for nomination (which best describes the category): volunteer, athletic excellence, vision and leadership; innovation and achievement; impact; growth/development strategy; and community involvement.

Brief biography or overview of the individual or organization (background, factual information, i.e. age, occupation, years in business or service, purpose, etc.)

Brief (200) word explanation of how this individual or organization has contributed to road running in Calgary/Canada.

Become a member of the Calgary Marathon Society!
The Calgary Marathon Society is a not-for-profit organization delivering premier running opportunities and programming in the form of road races, fun runs, training groups, social events and time trials in the city of Calgary.

Vision

We are the fabric of the running community, embraced by the city while inspiring and enriching lives.

Mission Statement

To celebrate human achievements through running.

Core Values

Honesty - Leadership - Integrity - Excellence - Challenge

How do YOU become a member?

When you register for the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon Race Weekend you can purchase an annual membership to the Calgary Marathon Society for $30 (2017/18 rate). Or come see us at 200 Barclay Parade SW in Unit B7 to pick up a membership in person.

Benefits of CMS membership?

Be a voting member of the CMS and be invited to the AGM which happens annually in December.

Receive a 10% discount on all race series events outside of the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon Race Weekend (check out the Race Series with more coming in 2018!)

Receive a 15% discount on all official race merchandise, purchased at CMS HQ in Eau Claire Market (you can't receive this online just in person at our office)